NASET

WEEK IN REVIEW

National Association of Special Education Teachers

September 9, 2022                 Vol 18 Issue #36

Dear NASET Members and Guests,

Welcome to NASET's WEEK in REVIEW.  Here, we provide you with the latest publications fromNASET to read and or download, as well as some of the most interesting articles that have happened this week in the field of special education. We hope you enjoy this publication.  Feel free to send us articles for this publication or let us know your thoughts about the WEEK in REVIEW at news@naset.org. Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

WHATS NEW AT NASET

NASET’s Classroom Management Series

Endrew, Rowley, and What Is an Appropriate Education

By Ana Paula Fabian Freire

This issue of NASET’s Classroom Management series was written by Ana Paula Fabian Freire. The ruling of Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District requires progress that is greater than the de minimis precedent established in the case of Board of Education v. Rowley, where the school district had to demonstrate that the IEP provides student with disabilities reasonable educational benefit. Notably, reasonable was often based on minimal expectations often measured by effort instead of outcomes. In Endrew F., it was clarified that a school must provide and IEP that is reasonably calculated in order for a child to make progress according to the child’s own circumstances, and the child’s educational program must be appropriately ambitious and meet challenging objectives. The term “appropriate” in FAPE has had different interpretations, although it is clear that after Endrew F. the standards were raised in terms of what is considered an appropriate education for students with disabilities. All students with disabilities must have in their IEPs expectations of progress that are appropriate and instruction designed to meet their unique needs.

Read More

How Bad Is the Teacher Shortage? Depends Where You Live.

The new fall semester has just begun in Mesa, Ariz., and Westwood High School is short on math teachers. A public school that serves more than 3,000 students in the populous desert city east of Phoenix, Westwood still has three unfilled positions in that subject. The principal, Christopher Gilmore, has never started the year there with so many math positions open. “It’s a little bit unnerving,” he said, “going into a school year knowing that we don’t have a full staff.” Westwood, where most students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, is one of many public schools across the United States that are opening their doors with fewer teachers than they had hoped for. According to one national survey by Education Week, nearly three-fourths of principals and district officials said this summer that the number of teaching applicants was not enough to fill their open positions. Read More

10 Tips for Motivating Reluctant Elementary and Middle School Writers

Students are natural storytellers: We know this by the stories they tell us when they come in each morning and even when they raise their hands in the middle of math class to tell you the story of how their dog ran away the night before. Why is it, then, that many kids freeze up or feel like they have nothing to say when it comes to writing? There is often a disconnect between kids’ natural storytelling abilities and getting these stories on paper. Over the years, these strategies have helped make my reluctant middle school writers feel more comfortable and confident as writers. Read More

IQ-Based Qualifications Disconnect Could Leave Some Adults Diagnosed with Autism without Services

Adults with autism but an IQ above 70 might not have access to new state services. Bama Hager is caring for a 22-year-old with autism in Alabama. She said she hopes the Alabama Department of Mental Health's (ADMH) new Community Waiver will provide some community activities for her son.  "There just isn't a whole lot available to this adult with autism population in Alabama," Hager said. Hager considers herself an "Alabama autism advocate." She used to work for the Autism Society of Alabama, which is now known as Autism Support of Alabama. Children with special needs may receive Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and become qualified for services through their local school district and the Alabama Department of Education. For adults, Alabama provides Medicaid waiver services to individuals with "intellectual disabilities." Read More

Bad News and Good News People with Disabilities Need to Hear Today

If you spend any time at all browsing disability-related writing and other content, you may eventually find yourself asking a basic question. What’s more important for disabled people to hear about — bad news or good? Do people with disabilities need to continue learning more about ableism, discrimination, persistent inaccessibility, and social and economic injustice? Or, is it better for their overall outlook and mental health to focus on good news — about successful disabled people’s achievements, opportunities offered by new technologies and innovations, and empowering ways to think about disability itself? On the one hand, bad news needs to be known and understood. Complacency about ableism and injustice is common, even in the disability community itself, or at least some segments of it. Certain kinds of “positivity” and overly optimistic views of disabled people’s situations also help keep the disability community distracted and divided, both socially and politically. Unfortunately, a “look on the bright side” approach to disability often includes ignoring painful topics and disparaging the efforts of more outspoken disability activists. Read More

Study Shows Eye Test Could Screen Children for Autism

A new study published by researchers at Washington State University suggests testing how the eye’s pupil changes in response to light could potentially be used to screen for autism in young children. The proof-of-concept study was published in the journal Neurological Sciences in March and builds on previous research first author Georgina Lynch has done to study the development of a portable technology for screening. A portable technology tool that could help with diagnoses could allow health care providers to catch children earlier in their development when interventions are more likely to benefit them. “We know that when we intervene as early as ages 18 to 24 months, it has a long-term impact on their outcomes,” Lynch said. Read More

“Celiac Fog” May Resemble ADHD, but Celiac Disease Doesn't Raise ADHD Risk

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurological condition that can affect your ability to focus your attention and manage impulses, along with your energy levels. This condition can affect people of any age, though it’s most often diagnosed in childhood. Although the condition is common, experts don’t fully understand what causes it, which has led to widespread speculation about potential contributing factors. For instance, many people believe certain foods can cause ADHD, though scientific evidence doesn’t support this idea. Other theories link ADHD to celiac disease, a condition in which gluten exposure causes your immune system to attack your intestines. According to this idea, the resulting gut inflammation and microbiome disruption could contribute to ADHD symptoms. Read More

Adderall is Hard to Find at Some Pharmacies Following a Labor Shortage at the Largest U.S. Supplier

Some pharmacies are having difficulty filling prescriptions of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication Adderall, following a labor shortage at the medication’s biggest U.S. supplier. Yet the Food and Drug Administration said that, based on its monitoring of the supply of ADHD medications from all manufacturers, no shortage has been detected overall. Only one company is reporting "intermittent delays," FDA spokesperson Cherie Duvall-Jones said in an email. "Teva Pharmaceuticals, the maker for Adderall tablets, is reporting expected delays for the next 2-3 months." Teva Pharmaceuticals attributed the delay to a labor shortage on its packaging line that it said has been resolved. The company added that it has an "active supply" of branded Adderall and its generic version, and that while some pharmacies may experience a back order, it should be temporary.  Read More

Robots Connect with Children with Autism

They smile, their eyes blink, their arms move expressively and most of all their patience is endless and they never tire during the day working with students with autism. They are robots programmed by Movia Robotics, a Bristol firm creating something akin to a human able to reach children with autism spectrum disorder. “They’re very consistent, very patient, very predictable,” said Timothy Gifford, president and chief scientist of the Bristol firm. “They don’t sigh or yawn that a child might misinterpret.” Movia Robotics, begun in 2010, has so far programmed 350 robots — made elsewhere and repurposed at the company’s offices in an ornate 19th century house in Bristol’s Federal Hill neighborhood — and sold to schools, homes and most recently, hospitals. Read More

Putting Data into Action: 8 Questions for Educators on Effective Use of Assessments

As school districts consider their assessment processes, it’s important to make sure assessments are being used appropriately to support academic recovery. This fall, K–12 educators across the country will be facing a myriad of challenges as they work to help students rebound from the pandemic’s impacts on student learning. While there are some early signs of academic rebounding, research shows that there is still a need for sustained urgency to address interruptions to learning. Making sure data is being used to drive change in schools is more important than ever. With the current challenges and the urgency of helping students, using assessments appropriately will be a key part of academic recovery. Read More

TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to: Jennifer Buteau, Rosemarie Thomas, Katrina Snider, Lauro Esquilona III, Ruby Brock, Karen Frantz-Fry, Diane Campbell-Mitchell, Patsy Ray, Cindi Maurice, and Zenaida Lemus who all knew the answer to last week's trivia question:

When these type of courses are delivered through career and technical education in high school, they can help students with learning disabilities feel better about their ability to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics). These courses also help students with learning disabilities see the usefulness of the field, itself. According to national survey data from more than 20,000 students across the country to dig into this connection between this field of study and STEM, when compared with other students with learning disabilities, those who took these types of courses in a career and technical education program were more likely to believe they could succeed in STEM. They were also more likely to believe STEM was useful for future employment or college options. What are the courses?

Answer: COMPUTER SCIENCE (Career and Technical Education Courses)

This week's trivia question: This disorder is also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, individuals with this disorder have difficulties in planning and completing fine and gross motor tasks. This can range from simple motor movements, such as waving goodbye, to more complex ones like sequencing steps to brush one’s teeth. It is a neurological disorder that impacts an individual’s ability to plan and process motor tasks. Individuals with this diagnosis often have language problems, and sometimes a degree of difficulty with thought and perception. It, however, does not affect the person’s intelligence, although it can cause learning problems in children and is an immaturity of the organization of movement. The brain does not process information in a way that allows for a full transmission of neural messages. What is the name of this disorder?

If you know the answer to this week's trivia questions, email it to us at contactus@naset.org by September 12, 2022. If you are correct, you will be acknowledged in next week's NASET's Week in Review

Borrowing a Page from Marriage Therapy in the Classroom

One of the most vexing dilemmas for teachers is finding the best way to respond to students who misbehave. Experts argue over whether the best classroom-management approach is a consistent, strict discipline or a more forgiving response where students discuss their grievances with an adult’s guidance, a process called restorative justice. For-profit software companies sell systems to encourage teachers to award points or stars for good behavior and deduct them for misbehavior, but critics complain that the constant monitoring can feel too controlling and public shaming can be discouraging. Who can blame new teachers for feeling confused and ill-prepared to manage classroom disruptions? Read More

Teens View Drugs and Alcohol as Less Risky, but Use is Down

Today’s teens perceive alcohol and substance abuse as less risky than teens did in the past, even as there have been significant declines in alcohol and drug use among students in grades 9-12 since 2009, according to the School Health Profiles report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, a third of youth ages 12-17 (34.6%) perceived great risk of harm from smoking marijuana weekly, a drop from 40.6% in 2015. More than three-quarters of teens in 2019 (78.7%) perceived great risk from weekly cocaine use, down slightly from 80.2% in 2016, and 63.5% perceived great risk of harm from daily binge drinking in 2019, down from 65.5% in 2016. Even as drug and alcohol use among youth has declined, schools should sustain prevention programs as they are effective in delaying or preventing substance use at all, as well as in preventing escalated use, the report said. Read More

Well-Meaning Reactions That Frustrate People with Disabilities

Some of the most annoying things people with disabilities hear in their everyday lives aren’t precisely wrong or deliberately offensive. But, they are misplaced and upsetting in the context of how people with disabilities actually live. Some ideas, encouragements, and attempts to be helpful to people with disabilities instead taste like aluminum foil, feel like sandpaper, and burrow into disabled people’s ears like fingernails on a blackboard. They are usually well-intended. But the actual effect of these “helpful” or “supportive” comments is irritation, because they contradict and undermine disabled people’s real-life experiences — and because they are so terribly common. Read More

Making Radio Accessible to All

Living with a disability shouldn’t be a barrier to having a future in radio. And an exclusive program is giving people with disabilities the opportunity to experience radio and podcasting, taking their passion to the next level. Celebrating diversity in broadcasting, the RadioVoice Radio & Podcast Skills Building Program is designed and delivered exclusively for the disability sector. Director Daz Smith says the program encourages people in the disability sector to step outside their comfort zone. Smith, who himself has worked in community and commercial radio since the age of seventeen, tells Radio Today “The inspiration came from an opportunity to work with a young man who is legally blind and with a disability, who had a passion for radio, early in 2021.” Read More

A Rubric for Effective Edtech Use

What does effective technology integration in a pre-K to 12 classroom mean? When I was in K–12 classrooms, many believed that using technology to present lectures to middle school English language acquisition students indicated effective technology use. There are many more edtech tools now, and with educators required to implement so many tools, they often don’t get a clear picture of what successful technology integration looks like. Read More

Extent of Developmental Delays Varies with Autism

Developmental milestone progress in autism varies substantially under different conditions, according to a study published online July 18 in JAMA Pediatrics. Susan S. Kuo, Ph.D., from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and colleagues assessed variability in the age at which autistic individuals attain key developmental milestones. The analysis included 17,098 autistic individuals and 4,145 siblings without an autism diagnosis (ages 4 to 17 years). The researchers found that individuals with autism showed delays in milestone attainment versus their unaffected siblings, with median delays ranging from 0.7 to 19.7 months. The presence of co-occurring intellectual disability, carrying a neurodevelopmental disorder-associated rare genetic variant, and being diagnosed with autism by age 5 years were associated with more severe and more variable delays in autism. Read More

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JOB POSTINGS

* Student Learning Support (SLS) Teacher (Immediate Opening) - Rochambeau is committed to a diverse workforce representative of our students, one that embraces cultural competency and an international community. Diversity is the hallmark of Rochambeau, with over 80 nationalities represented in the student body. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teachers K-12 (1 Year Only) - Skills and experience with standardized academic testing, writing IEPs, developing positive behavior support plans, and strong direct scientifically – based instruction utilizing a variety of interventions such as Wilson, Seeing Stars student success preferred. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Avondale House is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency that provides, educational services to children with autism, a day habilitation program for young adults, where clients receive training in daily living skills and pre-vocational activities, employment services for those with disabilities and four residential homes for individuals unable to live in their own home. Avondale House has been serving individuals with autism since 1976. To learn more- Click here

* [2022-2023] High School Global History and Earth Science Learning Specialist - Reporting to the Academic Dean, the High School Global History and Earth Science Learning Specialist will be responsible for building meaningful relationships with students, implementing a Common Core-aligned curriculum, and working with their grade team to analyze data to drive instruction. This is an exciting opportunity for an educator who is passionate about improving student outcomes by leading excellent instruction and building a positive school culture. To learn more- Click here

* [Immediate Hire] Middle School Math Learning Specialist - Reporting to the Academic Dean, the Middle School Math Learning Specialist will be responsible for building meaningful relationships with students, implementing a Common Core-aligned curriculum, and working with their grade team to analyze data to drive instruction. This is an exciting opportunity for an educator who is passionate about improving student outcomes by leading excellent instruction and building a positive school culture. To learn more- Click here

* Tenure Track Faculty - School of Education (Special Education) - We value the ability to serve students from a broad range of cultural heritages, socioeconomic backgrounds, genders, ability and orientations. Therefore, we prioritize applicants who demonstrate they understand the benefits diversity brings to a professional educational community. The successful candidate will be an equity-minded individual committed to collaborating with faculty, classified staff, administration, and students who are also committed to closing equity gaps. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher-(Elementary, Middle, or High School) - The EC Teacher plans and provides for appropriate learning experiences for students with disabilities in a variety of educational settings. To learn more- Click here

* [2022-2023] Middle School Learning Specialist - Reporting to the Academic Dean, the Learning Specialist will be responsible for providing tailored support to students with special education needs, through integrated co-teaching, in small group settings, or a combination of both. This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned educator who is passionate about ensuring all students succeed and thrive in school. To learn more- Click here

* Student Learning Support (SLS) Teacher (Immediate Opening) - Rochambeau is committed to a diverse workforce representative of our students, one that embraces cultural competency and an international community. Diversity is the hallmark of Rochambeau, with over 80 nationalities represented in the student body. We are dedicated to fostering a culture where diversity, equity, and inclusion remain at the core of who we are. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teachers K-12 (1 Year Only) - Skills and experience with standardized academic testing, writing IEPs, developing positive behavior support plans, and strong direct scientifically – based instruction utilizing a variety of interventions such as Wilson, Seeing Stars student success preferred. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher - Avondale House is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit agency that provides, educational services to children with autism, a day habilitation program for young adults, where clients receive training in daily living skills and pre-vocational activities, employment services for those with disabilities and four residential homes for individuals unable to live in their own home. Avondale House has been serving individuals with autism since 1976. To learn more- Click here

* [2022-2023] Middle School ELA Learning Specialist - Reporting to the Academic Dean, the Middle School Social Studies Teacher will be responsible for building meaningful relationships with students, implementing a Common Core-aligned curriculum, and working with their grade team to analyze data to drive instruction. This is an exciting opportunity for an educator who is passionate about improving student outcomes by leading excellent instruction and building a positive school culture. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher $2,000 sign-on bonus! - BASIS is seeking an experienced Special Education Teacher who is eager to develop leadership skills by serving as a member of the school’s administrative team. This is a teacher/administrator hybrid role whose primary responsibilities include the provision of special education services and supporting special education program operations as part of the administrative team at a school site. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Assistant $2,000 sign-on bonus! - BASIS.ed offers an incredible opportunity to be deeply involved in an academic community that is dynamic, exciting and unpredictable. You'll join others in a highly social, supportive and collaborative environment. To learn more- Click here

* Learning Specialist/IDD Program Manager (Grant) - The Full-Time Learning Specialist/ IDD Program Manager reports directly to the Director, Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Education. The Learning Specialist/ IDD Program Manager performs administrative level functions to support the daily activities of the Adult Transition Program and in doing so, contribute to the success of grant implementation. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teachers (In Person) - Reporting directly to a Special Education Administrator the Special Education Teacher provides services to special education students with a range of moderate to severe disabilities ages three to 21 years of age. The Special Education Teacher leads the IEP team to develop data driven student learning and behavioral goals. To learn more- Click here

* Special Education - Elementary Teacher - Career opportunities where you can choose your path. From coaching to administration, there are many options to grow your career, while pursuing your interests and passions. We are hiring immediately for a full-time Special Education - Elementary Teacher. Come grow your career with the Clark County School District! To learn more- Click here

* Special Education Teacher and Paraprofessional Positions – District Wide - The purpose of these positions is to help each student learn subject matter and skills that will contribute to his/her development as a mature, capable, and responsible adult. Provide a positive, healthy, and safe environment in which the student can achieve his/her maximum potential. To learn more- Click here

If you are an Employer looking for excellent special education staff - Click here for more information

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

I’ve always loved the first day of school better than the last day of school. Firsts are best because they are beginnings. Jenny Han